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by scullywolf



Series: TXF: Scenes in Between [70]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, Gen, MSR, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-30
Updated: 2015-09-30
Packaged: 2018-04-24 01:59:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4901194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scullywolf/pseuds/scullywolf





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_“Who was that?”  
“Detective Waltos. Skinner’s been released on his own recognizance.”_

It’s unsettling, how readily Scully seems to be willing to condemn Skinner, to see the man as guilty and capable of such a heinous murder. Mulder’s not sure if working with him, being exposed to his trust issues day in and day out, has made her cynical, but it’s hard to watch her all but turn her back on a man who has literally put his life on the line for them.

“You said it yourself, Scully. This doesn’t seem like him.”

“And I also said we cannot claim to _really_ know him. It would be more accurate to say this doesn’t fit the image that he has presented to us.” She rubs her forehead. “I mean, we can’t just ignore evidence because he’s our boss or because we have a professional relationship with him.”

“Okay, but what if it were me? What if I were in his position? Would you assume that I had hired a prostitute just because you were shown a transaction record with my name on it?”

She is quiet far longer than he is comfortable with. Finally, she says quietly, “Of course not.”

“You really had to think about that?” He dares a look at her, then fixes his gaze back on the road. “Nice to know you think I’m such an upstanding guy.”

“I was thinking about whether I’m being unfair to Skinner,” she snaps. “And you’re right that if it were you, I would have a much harder time believing the charges. That I wouldn’t take Lorraine’s records at face value. But I _know_ you, Mulder. And as much as I may want to believe Skinner is what he seems, I simply _don’t_ have the same confidence in him as I would in you.”

“Well, that’s--”

“Jesus, Mulder, I’ve pulled a gun on the man! Because I didn’t trust him!”

“But he was innocent, wasn’t he? Besides, you _shot_ me, so what does that say about how you demonstrate your trust?”

“That was not about trust, and you know it,” she says, her voice steely.

He takes a breath and aims for a steady response. “I’m just saying, we owe it to him to assume his innocence until it’s proven otherwise beyond a doubt.”

“And all _I’m_ saying is that there is a limit to how much evidence can be mounted against him before we have no choice but to call it proof.”

“Well,” he says, pulling the car into a space in front of the police station, “let’s hear what he has to say before we make any more judgments, all right?”


End file.
